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Helping patients With noncommunicable diseases through lessons learned during the pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted access to essential healthcare services, resulting in a devastating impact on people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as metabolic, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, mental illness and cancer, writes Lobna Salem, Regional Chief Medical Officer Developed Markets and Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Viatris.

That’s the main conclusion of a survey[1] on the pandemic’s impact on patients living with NCDs in Europe and in the US, which was conducted among nearly 5,000 patients.[2] The study was published this year by Carenity, Eurocarers and La Compagnie des Aidants, in partnership with Viatris, a global pharmaceutical company.

Among the findings:

  • During two periods in 2020, patients had difficulty maintaining relations with their healthcare providers.[3]
  • Half of the patients surveyed reported a worsening of their medical condition during the pandemic, and 17% developed a new disease.[4]
  • Additionally, one in four patients reported an impact of the pandemic on regular/long-term treatment intake.[5]
  • One in five patients suffering from noncommunicable diseases reported developing a mental health problem during the pandemic. In addition, symptoms of anxiety and depression for patients living with NCDs were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
  • In nearly half of the cancer patients, their chronic illness did worsen over the previous month, while one in three cancer patients had medical visits or surgeries postponed.[7]
  • Overall, cancer care was impacted, disrupting prevention and treatment, delaying diagnosis and affecting access to medicines[8].

These factors put patients living with NCDs at high risk for the worsening of their chronic condition or for developing other illnesses, adding to the already high burden of NCDs around the world. NCDs kill 41 million people worldwide each year and account for seven of the top 10 leading causes of death globally.[9]

These new challenges threaten to undo the substantial gains in wellness and health that have occurred over the last century. That’s why it’s imperative that we understand the pandemic’s effects on patients living with NCDs and develop real solutions.

Take cancer care, for example. Reduced diagnosis and access to medicines during the pandemic could lead to future increases in cancer cases, making screening programs and cancer treatment urgent areas of priority. To address this in Europe, it’s important for countries to align with the EU Beating Cancer Plan, which contains concrete, ambitious actions around four key action areas: prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and improving quality of life. 

Another way to help patients living with cancer is by making affordable, off-patent cancer treatment available across Europe so that governments offer equitable access to the pharmaceutical standards of care and to better cancer care pathways. By including comprehensive policies to support the uptake of off-patent medicines, the EU Beating Cancer Plan can encourage the use of freed-up budget resources to support patients more effectively. The generic, biosimilar and value-added medicines industries directly and indirectly contribute to tackling uneven access to preventive measures, screening and diagnostics, treatment and life-long care.

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In addition, as these same governments face tough choices about how to tackle rising disease burden with limited healthcare budgets, we need a new approach to healthcare that ensures all patients get access to high-quality, affordable medicines. Let’s prioritize health in national budgets instead of focusing on cost cutting measures.

If we are serious about living longer and healthier lives, patients with NCDs must be empowered to manage their conditions effectively and proactively as they grow older. To do so, it’s imperative to embrace a public-private partnership model for the care of NCDs, and in particular cancer. Doing so will increase access to medicines and care to improve patient outcomes and increase longevity, as seen from collaboration of Viatris with European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, a multi-stakeholder partnership approach developed by the European Commission. Achieving this vision will positively impact patients, caregivers, communities and the overall broader health-care systems.

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EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

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